Pony Express rider to stop in Kansas next week

The Old West will come alive next week during the annual re-ride of the Pony Express Trail.

A Pony Express re-enactor will make a stop at the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site at 7 p.m. June 20.

But keep in mind, it’s Pony Express time.

According to a news release issued by the Kansas State Historical Society, the rider could arrive two hours earlier, or two hours later.

People wanting to see the rider are welcome to gather on the grounds.

Friends of Hollenberg Station will have refreshments available.

The re-ride is hosted by the National Pony Express Association.

The Hollenberg Pony Express Station is at 2880 23rd Road in Hanover, in Washington County near the Nebraska border.

In early 1860, the mystique of the Pony Express began with a newspaper ad:

“Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”

It would only last 18 months, but the experiment with the Pony Express became an iconic moment in Old West lore.

Nearly 2,000 miles stretched between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. By using a relay of horses and riders, the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Co. promised the fastest communication between the east and west coasts until it was replaced by the telegraph.

The route followed the Oregon-California Trail, which ran 123 miles through Kansas.